Cheat Sheet

Samsung Galaxy S 4 For Dummies

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 smartphone comes loaded with features. You can sign up for a free Samsung account that comes with your phone, which lets you download apps from the Samsung App Store or back up the contents of your phone. You can also change the shortcuts on your phone's Home screen so the apps and items you use often are convenient for you.

How to Sign Up for a Samsung Account

Signing up for a free Samsung account lets you access several important capabilities. You can download Samsung apps from the App Store. For example, this is how to access the S Translator app to enable you to converse with others in Spanish, French, and Chinese in real time. You can also use your Samsung account to back up the information on your phone.

If you do not sign up for the Samsung account when you first set up your phone, you will be prompted to do so if you want to access the Samsung App Store or try to use the S Translator app.

Before you get started, have the following ready:

Your Gmail account information

A password in mind for the Samsung account

The date of your birthday (no making up a fake date!)

When you're ready to create the account, follow these steps:

Tap on the Samsung Account icon in your Apps screen to bring up the Sign-In screen shown here.

Tap the link that says Create New Account.

This brings up the following screen.

Enter the correct data and tap Sign Up.

If the link for Sign Up is grayed-out, you have missed entering some data somewhere.

You are now ready to try S Translator and back up your files.

Add Shortcuts to the Home Screen of Your Galaxy S 4

You can change your Galaxy S 4 Home screen so it suits your needs. Among the items that you can add to your Home screen are

Contacts that you want to quickly call or text.

Directions to a favorite place.

Folders where you’ve stored Microsoft Office files.

To get started, go to the Home screen and follow these steps:

From the Home screen, tap Menu.

Tap Add.

Tap Shortcuts.

Tap the Shortcuts selection you want.

You can add shortcuts until the pages of your extended Home screen are full by tapping the option you want. The shortcut is then placed on that page.

Taking a shortcut off your Home screen is simple. Press and hold on the screen. In a moment, a garbage can icon appears at the top of the screen. Drag the doomed shortcut to the garbage can, and off it goes to its maker.

It's gone, but if you made a mistake, you can get it back easily enough. To re-create it, simply go to the App list, find the icon for the app you just deleted, and press and hold on it. It reappears on your Home screen.

Navigating Your Samsung Galaxy S 4 Phone

Even if you’ve used a smartphone in the past, you'll probably still need a bit of guidance to get around your Galaxy S 4. Here’s your guide to your phone’s buttons, its touchscreen, and the keyboard:

The Power button: The Power button is on the top-right side of the phone. Press it for a second, and the screen lights up. Press it for a second while the phone is on and the phone goes into sleep mode. To shut down the phone completely, simply press and hold the Power button for a few seconds. Then choose the Power Off option from the menu.

The Volume button(s): There are two Volume buttons location on the top-left side of the phone: one to increase the volume, and the other to lower it.

The touchscreen: The Galaxy S 4 phone offers one of the highest-resolution touchscreens, the Super AMOLED, on the market. It’s sensitive enough to allow you to move the screen carefully, but not so sensitive that it’s hard to manage.

The extended Home screen: This is the first screen that you see. You actually have several screens. The extended Home screen is where you can organize icons and other functions to make the phone convenient for you. You’ll find your extended Home screen has some apps already preloaded for you by Samsung and your cellular carrier. Here’s what you’ll find on your Home screen:

The notification area: The notification area is located at the top of the phone and presents you with small icons that let you know if something important is up, like updating you on your battery's status or letting you know if you have a text message.

The primary shortcuts: These five icons at the bottom of the screen remain stationary as you move across the Home screens. Samsung and your cellular carrier have determined that these are the most important applications on your phone.

The Device Function keys: These keys (Menu, Home, and Back) reside on the bottom of the phone and control essential phone functions, regardless of what else you have going on at the moment.

The keyboard: All Galaxy S phones come with a software keyboard. It pops up onscreen when you need to enter text. Otherwise, it goes away to give you the maximum amount of useful screen real estate.